Hey, if she can do the job, more power to her. But, as I see it, she had better think long and hard about what she's actually getting herself into. Being a professional NFL ref is anything but easy. First, the ref (and the other officials) have to constantly keep track of 22 guys all at once and track their line-ups and movements. Split-second decisions often have to be made....in addition to monitoring each second of play-time. Players and coaches sometimes get mad at you and cuss you out....even if it costs an Unsportsmanlike-Conduct penalty or ejection. Coaches can toss a red flag and formally contest a ruling, involving instant replay....sometimes with the head official overturning your very call. Worst of all, (though it is usually accidental and not deliberate), you can get hit in the head with a power-thrown football or have some big 350-lb. lineman like Tony Siragusa run into you like a freight train, causing serious injuries and/or breaking numberous bones....and, in general, women's bones are not as strong as men's in hard-contact sports like football.

So, if she can do the job, fine..............but there are obvious risks there.

Not sure why she'd need to think longer and harder about this than a male referee?

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4TehNguyen

look she knows the risks and shes a grown woman, who are you to second guess her decision. I dont care as long as she can make the calls accurately.

In terms of the actual job and pay......Yes, I agree. There's probably no difference between her and/or a male referee. Like you two, I've always believed (and still do) in equal pay for equal work. I made that clear in the opening post. But, with her body, that could be a different case. One cannot overrule the laws of anatomy. It's not simply just a matter of me "Second-Guessing" her decision. The bones of the average woman, in general, (particularly as they age, and she is now 40 years old) are not as strong as the average male (as long as both are in good health), and her accidentally getting hit and knocked on her a** by a big gorilla lineman could have some serious consequences. That is a fact, not an opinion. That may not be the politically correct view of looking at it, but it is the realistic one. That is why men and women don't play on the same football, hockey, soccer, or basketball fields together, or in a number of other pro sports. Men have their leagues....and women have theirs. This isn't like Divas Wrestling in the WWE, where 99% of what you see in the ring is stunt-staged for effect. In pro sports, the hits (even if accidental) are real.